


Home At Last

by thejollymilano



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers Infinity War, Gen, Guardians of the Galaxy - Freeform, Infinity War, The Avengers - Freeform, gotg - Freeform, grocket - Freeform, half angst half fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 15:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15866721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejollymilano/pseuds/thejollymilano
Summary: Rocket teams with the remaining Avengers to defeat Thanos. When they succeed and their friends return to normal, Rocket is forced to anxiously wait for his space family and surrogate tree child. Post-Infinity War Grocket & guardians reunion!





	Home At Last

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know what they’re going to do to defeat Thanos and bring back some of the characters in A4 (because we all know that’s what’s going to happen) so of course, my easy-way-out explanation as to how they defeat him is not cannon and is simply used to kick start this fic! Also too, *spoiler* I bring Gamora back in this fanfic and again, it’s kinda stupid how I do it (you’ll see what I mean) but I didn’t want this fic to be solely based on the defeat of Thanos etc etc. sooo even though it doesn’t totally makes sense that Strange could play around with both the time and soul stone, that’s what I’m gonna do in this fic to try to fix that bridge. A majority of this fanfic covers Rocket’s shock and grief as everybody else is being reunited. But I swear, there’s a happy ending!!! And I decided to add snippets of different duos/pairings/OTP’s within the fandom (including stamora!!! I wanted to treat all my mutuals who ship them!)
> 
> Rating: 16 & up! No trigger warnings really apply, except for confronting grief and there’s also some swearing in a few parts.

_They did it._

After all the struggling, all the pain and all the lives that were lost - the good and the bad, they finally did it. Thanos’s reign of terror was over.

When Nebula had landed her pod on earth with a very injured Tony Stark, there was a round of emotional reunions as the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes reassembled to avenge their friends and half the universe, despite the rift that Rocket noted between Tony and Steve. The raccoonoid Guardian, who didn’t have time to process that he was on Quill’s home planet and was already shaken by Groot’s second demise, stood still when Nebula had told him that he was the only one left.

‘ _It wasn’t supposed to be like this,_ ’ he thought, his wide eyes rooted on the ground. With a shaky breath, he promised death to the purple psychotic bastard that destroyed what Rocket has believed to be the only good thing left in his life.

They returned back to the safety of the Wakanda villages, where Shuri helped assess Stark’s wounds and they laid out the plans for tracking down the mad Titan.

Once they confronted Thanos on his peaceful terrain, the remaining Avengers and lone Guardian moved in sync to overpower him, which had been proven on Titan to not be an easy task. However, Thor managed to subdue Thanos long enough for them to retrieve the damaged gauntlet off his large prune hands. Wong, who took a  _great_  deal of convincing, then used a clone of Strange’s necklace which held the stone, and eventually managed to reverse the effects of the snap.

Rocket held his breath as he watched each fallen hero who turned to ash slowly be reformed. With a heavy heart, he stood by as Steve was reunited with the man with the metal arm (“ _Bucky_ ”, Rocket noted), a man named Sam and a woman clad in red leather were pulled into a large hug by Steve and Natasha. The Wakandan female general and young scientist were reunited with their King ...  _but where was Groot?_

Rocket’s eyes cast down to the ground as he watched Tony, Thor and Bruce being pulled into the group hug. He felt his heart fall, bashing himself for thinking that after all he’s done, he would get another chance with  _his_  family, too.

“Rabbit?” Thor stepped forward as the hug slowly disbanded.

“Groot’s not back,” Rocket mumbled, his eye sight still leveled at the ground. “None of ‘em have come back, yet ...”

“I’m sure they’ll come back any moment, now,” Thor gave an attempted smile.

Tony came to stand by them as well, kneeling down to sit on a nearby log, still feeling the repercussions of his injuries from Titan and their recent battle.

“What did you say your name was again?” Stark groaned as he sat down.

“Rocket, idiot.”

“Well,  _Rocket_ ,” Tony chose to ignore the last comment. “If there’s one thing I learned about your friends, it’s that they’re hard to get rid off.”

“You can say that again,” Rocket scoffed.

“And the tree is strong,” Thor added. “I’m sure he’ll be alright.”

Rocket sighed and sat down next to Tony, feeling overwhelmed which was quickly replaced with guilt.

“I never should’ve left ‘em,” He muttered, his dry throat making his voice crack.

“There was nothing you could do, Rabbit,” Thor patted his shoulder.

“They always had my back ... and Groot’s just a  _kid_  and now ...” Rocket sighed and closed his eyes and visioned his old friend’s kind smile. The old Groot would know what to say right now to comfort him; but he was gone now, and he was supposed to be the one comforting the adolescent Groot. But now one friend’s sticks were buried and the rest were left as dust blowing in the wind. “I was supposed to take care of ‘im. Groot, I mean ... He was always there, always kind and sacrificed his life for mine and the others, and I couldn’t even raise his reborn self properly-“

“I couldn’t even take care of a kid from Queens,” Tony interrupted Rocket’s thunderous self despise. “You’re not the only one who sucks at taking care of a kid that looks up to you.”

“What he’s  _trying_  to say,” Steve said as he walked over to them, overhearing the conversation. “is that the guilt you carry doesn’t have to be yours alone. We all guilt and shame, but -“

“That’s rich coming from the guy who just got  _his_  people back...” Rocket scoffed. Normally it would be Gamora or Drax who would give a speech about opening up and what-not; even then he was reluctant to listen and he wasn’t about to start listening to an ex-military fugitive.

“Rabbit, be patient.  _Everything_  is returning to the way it was from Thanos’s reign. If you give it more time, I’m sure the tree will come back,” the God of Thunder said optimistically.

“You’re strangely chipper for a guy who just lost his people and nearly half of his friends.”

“As you just said,  _nearly_. Besides, I-“ Thor was cut off by a sudden cry.

“Peter!”

Rocket’s ears perked at that and he looked up with hope-filled eyes. His heart sank a little further when he realized it was not Star-Munch, but instead a teenager clad in a red and blue metal suit.

“Mr. Stark!” The boy’s face lit up as his mentor rushed over to embrace him. “Oh my god,  _you’re hugging me!_ ” They both laughed joyfully, though their voices hitched with a sob.

“You scared the hell out of me, kid,” Rocket watched as Tony held on tightly to the boy who had become like a son to him, feeling suddenly grateful that even though he might not see Groot again, at least another pair wouldn’t have to feel the same hurt.

With a slight scoff at his last thought, he reminisced how only four years ago, he had been running around the Galaxy with Groot, not giving a damn about anybody else. And now here he was, without his family, without his surrogate son and yet, he still had a change in heart - even if he was still greedy and had a dark sense of humor. He  _cared_  for others and he sure as hell cared a lot for the tree he had raised.

It hadn’t been an easy task, raising Groot, but it was a joyful one. Through all the highs and lows, all the re-explaining things, and lecturing, and preventing him from pushing death buttons, and through all of his teenage sarcasm and emotional distance, Rocket wouldn’t have it any other way. He would always miss his best friend, but he had a son, and he wouldn’t change that for the galaxy.

But as he looked back at Tony and the other Peter, he felt a painful reminder that he may never get that back. That is, until ...

“Rabbit! Look!”

Just as Rocket had turned around and was about to walk back, Thor’s voice stopped him. He snapped his head around, and saw dust flying around, forming the shapes of vaguely familiar people. As the dust cleared and the silhouettes were complete, Rocket felt his heart jump gleefully.

_It was them. His morons._

_His family._

And with them, the very adolescent tree he had raised.

“Groot!” He ran to the Guardians on all fours and met Groot, who was also sprinting, halfway.

“I am Groot!” Rocket’s eyes were brimmed with joyful tears as he hugged his tree child, his best friend, his heart melting when he called him ‘Dad.’

“I’m sorry, Groot,” Rocket sniffed. “It should’ve been me.”

‘ _The kid never should have been in that situation_ ,’ Rocket thought painfully.

“I am Groot.”

“We defeated him, Groot. That fucker is dealt with,” He growled.

“What!?” Quill’s voice caused Rocket to snap his head up. “Ah man, I wanted to get another jab at that asshole.”

“Another?” Rocket laughed as he scratched his nose nervously, standing up again after hugging Groot once more. He slowly made his way to the rest of his family, wanting to tell them how much he missed them, but instead decided he couldn’t give up the opportunity to make some more playful banter. “I thought Thanos would’ve wiped the floor with you.”

“How could that monster wipe the floor with a person?” Drax stepped forward.

“I see being turned into ash didn’t change any of your personalities,” Rocket joked but he secretly thanked whatever God that was listening as they all wrapped their arms around each other to form a group hug, Rocket having to be lifted up with the aid of Quill and Groot.

“I feel that it has changed  _you_ ,” Mantis said, her antennae bobbing slightly.

“I am Groot?” Groot tilted his head as they slowly broke their tight embrace.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it right now. I’ll be fine. You guys are back now,” Rocket have a watery half smile. “But where’s Gams?”

“She didn’t turn to ash,” Quill’s voice went low and dark. “Thanos killed her for the soul stone.”

Rocket felt the knife in gut twist painfully. He looked back to where the Avengers were now curiously watching the aliens and half-human reunite. He yelled over to the wizard, Strange, who Wong had given the time stone back to, “Any way you can fix that too?”

“Working on it,” Strange, who was using his powers to fiddle with the soul stone.

“Oh, God,” Quill gasped, starting to pace. “Last thing I saw was Mantis and Drax turning into ash tray dust. What the hell happened?”

“The kid also turned to ash,” Nebula piped up.

“Groot, too,” Rocket mumbled.

“And so did many of our own,” Thor spoke. “But you needn’t worry about that any more. We all rendezvous on earth and confronted Thanos.”

“And who the hell are you guys?” Natasha asked, causing Rocket to look around and notice the curious and perplexed looks on the Avengers’s faces as they looked at the group of aliens and half-human.

“These are the guys I talked about. We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy,” Rocket announced proudly, ignoring the amused snorts from Sam and Rhodney.

“They were the ones who saved me from Asgard’s ruins,” Thor added.

“Look, it’s the handsome man,” Drax whispered to Quill.

“The  _doofus_  who hit our ship’s windshield?” He scoffed. “Yeah, I-“

Before Star-Lord could continue his jealous rambling, the soul stone in Doctor Strange’s hands suddenly let out a bright orange glow, blinding their eyes. The light only lasted a couple of painful seconds, which were spent with all of them attempting to open their eyes and prepare themselves in case another fight ensued, until it slowly dimmed down.

“What the  _hell_?” Rocket growled as he rubbed his eyes. When his vision came to, he saw that a woman with green skin and fiery violet hair was painfully standing up, her knees shaking. “Holy sh-”

“Gamora!” Peter’s voice cracked as he ran forward, snatching the dazed ex-assassin in his arms.

“Pe...” She shook her head, trying to comprehend everything. “Peter? What - how? I- Thanos .... he -“

Her startled stuttering was cut short by Nebula, who joined Peter in enveloping them in a bone crushing hug.

“He’s dead, Gamora. We defeated him,” Her cyborg sister croaked. “The soul stone ... The wizard used it and brought you back.”

“Wizard?” Before she could look up in confusion, Rocket, Groot, Drax and Mantis piled on her. “Whoa, guys!” She gave a watery laugh as the tears formed in their eyes.

“Flark, I have to you fill you all in on a  _lot_ ,” Rocket chuckled with a slightly less heavy heart.

‘ _They’re all here_ ,’ Rocket sighed contently as he held onto the group with one arm and draped his other arm over Groot’s slender shoulder. ‘ _Groot’s here. He’s here. They’re all here_ ,’ he kept repeating in his mind, reassuring himself.

He shook his head, still unbelieving of the fact that just earlier he had believed he was alone once again. That his surrogate son was dead, that his friends and even Nebula were gone ... With a smile tracing his lips, they reluctantly broke the hug when Stark gave an awkward cough; Rocket looked over at each of his family members, grateful for all the memories he valued with them. Through all the highs and lows, he wouldn’t of have wanted it any other way than the way it was now - them all together, the way it should be. His gaze stopped on Groot, and knew immediately what needed to be done before another psychotic God or mad Titan came along or before he gives in to his own insecurity.

“Groot?” Rocket silently thanked that his video game was destroyed, making it easy to catch the adolescent’s attention. He knew that Groot wouldn’t have used it at the moment anyways, not with everything that’s happened lately. “Walk with me for a minute.”

Rocket and Groot stepped out of the large throng of Avengers and Guardians, who were now being introduced to each other by Thor. They walked a little ways, making sure they still kept everybody else in eyesight.

“I am Groot?” Groot tilted his head to meet Rocket’s eyes when they stopped walking.

“Nothing’s up. I just wanted to talk ...” Rocket sighed and scratched his ears anxiously. “I don’t know how to say this, ‘cause in case you haven’t noticed, I ain’t exactly a pro at expressing my emotions. But this is something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now ...” He trailed off again, trying to gather his thoughts.

“I am ... Groot?”  _What is it?_

He hesitated slightly before choosing the right words. “You remember how I’ve told you about the other Groot, the one who helped me? He was my best friend ... When he died I - I didn’t know what to do, kid. I felt lost. But then you came along, and I made a promise,” Rocket took a deeply, looking down and shuffling his feet. “I promised to keep you safe, to teach you everything I possibly could ... For the longest time, I thought I had promised that to the old Groot ‘cause that’s what I told myself. And I did make a promise to make him proud, but then it hit me.”

Rocket exhaled, closing his eyes briefly, trying to prepare himself. He was finally going to tell Groot what he’s been wanting to say for a while, “I didn’t just promise that to myself or the other Groot. I promised it to you. You’re not the same as the other Groot, and I ain’t gonna lie, it hurt at first ... but I’m glad. ‘Cause you are your own person, Groot. And I’m freaking grateful that it’s me who raised you; you drive me insane sometimes, but you’re so uniquely you, buddy. There’s still so much I want to be able to to teach ‘n tell you, and I want to show you more planets and take you on more adventures with the Guardians ... we don’t say this enough, but we love you, kid,” Groot’s eyes softened even more at this. “ _I_  love you. And I’m glad to be your dad, even if I suck at it sometimes.”

Groot bent his knees so he was leveled with Rocket’s eyes. “I ... Am ... Groot.” Rocket’s heart skipped a beat when he translated it to ‘ _I love you too, dad_.’ Rocket pulled him into another hug, nuzzling his head into Groot’s shoulder and he felt him do the same.

“Don’t scare me like that again, you hear me? When you turned to dust like that ...  _flark_ , I  _really_  lost it. Just ask Thor!”

Groot gave a deep laugh, before he continued. “Now, how about we head back to the others? I don’t know about you, but I could do with some good ol’ tunes. Let’s go meet all the other folks, rest up and explore this weird planet with Star-Dork, eh?”

“I am Groot!”

They continued to tease Quill behind his back as they walked back to the group. After they all returned to Wakanda and were talking, sharing stories and laughing over misadventures, Rocket once again looked over them all; he still couldn’t believe they were all together again, let alone that they were in a high tech kingdom which he was determined to explore with Groot tomorrow. With his heart no longer feeling incredibly heavy, he came to a comfortable conclusion.

In this moment, his family and new friends all together and laughing, he was happy. It surprised him, feeling joyous instead of overwhelmed with sorrow, but it was something he was determined to feel a lot more often. And he could, now that his family was together again. Now that Groot was alive and well.

They were all together, and he was home at last.

_**THE END.** _


End file.
